Three-licious duo compliment Spillman

With senior Rodney Spillman leading a consistent effort underneath the opposition basket, some of the Cardinals decided Thursday to take a step back -- way back.

Senior Mark Abel and junior Todd Roberts connected on five of Eudora's six 3-pointers, including a combined 4-for-4 in the second quarter, as the Cardinals notched their 13th win of the year in a 60-50 victory over the Osawatomie Trojans at Eudora.

The win came despite a slow and somewhat sloppy start for the Cardinals. Four turnovers out of the gate and 33 percent shooting for the first quarter, led to an early Trojan lead, 12-9.

"We missed some shots early," Eudora coach Kyle Deterding said. "But we did a better job of guarding later and that got us back in it."

The brief Osawatomie advantage soon turned into history though, as Abel and Roberts suddenly found some rhythm.

Besides the downtown display, the pair accounted for 19 of the Cardinals 25 second-quarter points to turn a close Frontier League contest into a relative sleeper down the stretch.

Eudora used the big quarter to build a 34-25 halftime lead, and the Trojans were never closer than seven as the game closed out.

The outside output was something which ignited some excitement in the home crowd and is an element of Eudora's game which has re-emerged as of late and will need to be kept up if the team is to find success going into sub-state territory next week.

"We have about five guys on the perimeter that when left open, we feel like they can knock it down," Deterding said. "We want them to take those shots."

Before Thursday's 6-for-12 overall effort from beyond the arc and Abel's four treys Tuesday at Central Heights, the Cardinals have had some up and down nights.

A 70-percent outing against Paola was the highlight of a second-half stretch in which the Cardinals have been wildly inconsistent. Eudora shot 50 percent in a loss to Gardner, while going a combined 4-for-19 in a pair of wins against Wellsville and KC Sumner.

"Our shot selection has been pretty good the last several games," Deterding said. "Guys are taking shots they feel comfortable with and feel like they can knock in."

Thursday's performance from two of the Cardinals long-range threats gave Spillman another opportunity for a double-digit performance, which he gladly accepted by laying 19 points on the Trojans to go along with six rebounds.

Abel finished with 14 points for the game, while Roberts added 13.

The win was the Cardinals third in four games and seventh in the Frontier League.